Children, Language, and Literacy: Diverse Learners in Diverse Times
About this ebook
Chapters focus on children’s ways of communicating through varied modes, including the use of nonverbal expression; languages such as Spanish, English, and the variant of English known as African American Language; and multiple media. Throughout the text there is a resistance to labels such as “at risk” and a much-needed advocacy for child-sensible practices in a world where diversity is indeed the “new norm.”
Celia Genishiis professor of education and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University.Anne Haas Dysonis a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Contemporary early childhood educators find themselves in contexts that are fundamentally inimical to the time-honored wisdom in our field.Children, Language and Literacyspeaks to all of us with a commitment to the very young and strengthens our collective resolve to work in increasingly more effective ways with children, families, and the next generation of teachers.” —Mary Renck Jalongo, Editor,Early Childhood Education Journal
“Genishi and Dyson animate sociocultural theories of language learning by inviting us into the intimacy of children’s worlds. This book will become a treasure on the required reading lists for early childhood, ESOL, and language arts courses.”
—JoBeth Allen, University of Georgia, Athens
“If our standards-based economy requires us to make all children the same, to drain the joy out of learning, and to move lockstep through a set curriculum, we have forgotten what early childhood classrooms are all about. Genishi and Dyson remind us.”
—Beth Graue, Interim Director, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
“Celia Genishi and Anne Haas Dyson call on us to rethink children’s language and literacy instruction in the changing and diverse landscape of U.S. education. That call must be answered and they help us immensely understand how to do so.”
—Eugene García, Vice President, Education Partnerships, Arizona State University
